ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. row — to paddle
  3. tear — to rip
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. band — a music group
  7. pop — music
  8. band — a ring
  9. cold — not warm
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pop — soda
  13. tear — from crying
  14. deal — to handle
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. row — a line
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pop — to visit
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. tear — from crying

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com